


Red Lyrium Dreams

by clementineswings



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Aftermath of Violence, Dreams, F/M, Infected Characters, Nightmares, Red Lyrium, Red Lyrium Cullen, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-20
Updated: 2019-11-20
Packaged: 2021-02-16 00:28:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21498862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clementineswings/pseuds/clementineswings
Summary: Elizabeth Trevelyan awakes to her Commander infected by Red Lyrium, and has to fight for her life. Is this the end of the man she loves?
Relationships: Cullen Rutherford/Female Trevelyan, Female Inquisitor/Cullen Rutherford
Kudos: 12





	Red Lyrium Dreams

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry if this is a little out of character, I'm not terribly great at writing dialogue. This is also my first ever piece that I am posting for the world to to see, although I am a long time writer. Please forgive me if there's any discrepancies, wrong lore or repeated words. I worked super hard, and I'm still rewriting this to make it better - but I digress, please enjoy and let me know if you want some more. I'm a huge Dragon Age fan and I'm always happy writing about it. :)

She heard his voice calling for her from within her dream, like a far away call to her subconscious mind. The voice is familiar, like a favourite song or her mother’s soup on a cold winter’s day. It wraps her in a warm blanket that smells of musk, ink and forgotten notes of Lyrium. It pulls at her, slowly bringing bits and pieces of her forth, as if a puzzle were being pieced together. Her dreams fade, yet she remains as parts of a whole human. Piece by piece, she remembers who she is, where she is and the radiating heat beside her is someone whom she trusts.

Elizabeth awoke softly, sliding into consciousness like a warm bath. The voice came again, a smooth rumble that called her name and her eyes fluttered open. Her eyes softly focused on the room around her, sigils of the Templar Order and the Inquisition swirled into one pattern and raised roof of her chambers become clear. Awake, she thought, what time is it? Shaking off the thought, she stretched her legs, her muscles still heavy with slumber. Slowly, she rolled to her side, slinging her body half onto Cullen.

Again, she heard his voice. "Elizabeth," he said softly. This time, she noticed it sounded off. Almost if something were mimicking him, empty and cruel like when the envy demon called to her from within her own mind. 

She curled into him, trying to forget about that day. The demon still lurked within her memories, like a storm rolling ominously in from afar, blackening the clear sky. Even though it was long dead, it haunted her. She often wondered if perhaps it took root in her mind, gnarling her clear conscience into something evil but she had long let those intrusive thoughts. She had spoke to both Dorian and Solas, two of her most trusted friends, and thankfully, they had both ensured her she was well and healthy, even in soul.

Cullen shifted beside her, raising from the bed. She sighed and rose to her elbow, "Good morning, my l-" She was suddenly cut off as he turned towards her. It was still the handsome face she remembered, but his eyes glowed like fierce fire.

"Elizabeth," he croaked, his voice hollow and broken, " _Elizabeth _," She recoiled, her head hitting the stone wall behind her. Her ears rung with rushing blood, terror filling her entirely. From far away, a scream echoed, a gut wrenching one that came from mortal terror. It continued, crescendoing until she was sure the guards would come running. It grew louder, bouncing off of the stone walls, the shrieks made her head pound. She had heard these screams before, horrible and terrifying, from those who were about to join the Maker. Yet, she found herself unable to move and rescue the poor woman. It felt like hours, days, years, and she still felt like a statue, staring into the abyss.__

__As if all at once, she realised it was her, the sound ripping itself from deep within her. "Leliana!" She shrieked, her hands in front of her, "Guards, Cassandra!"_ _

__Cullen lunged at her, but she was faster, catching his jaw in a hard right hook. He fell back, head cracking against the footboard. She sat staring for a moment, until he came at her again, his normally gentle hands gripping at her throat._ _

__Elizabeth tried to scream, but all that came was a sharp cry as Cullen pressed harder. He hissed her name, over and over again like a curse. She kicked at him between his legs, but never quite connecting. The fiery glow of his eyes intensified as a cruel grin twisted his features. "Please no," she wheezed, legs still thrashing beneath his dense body. His fingers burned into her skin, overpowering the burn in her lungs. She could feel him pressing down further, almost as if he were trying to push her through the bed._ _

__The edge of her vision blurred, and then turned black. Elizabeth had never wondered what dying had felt like, though she knew this was it. From above her, Cullen snarled and pressed harder._ _

__“Why?" She squeaked, tears sliding down the sides of her face. She heard a faint gurgle, then a crack and just as the way she awoke, she again slid back into the inky blackness of the void._ _

__She awoke with a start, falling from her bed with a resounding thud. The white hot pain shot through her, up her back and into her head as she hit the floor. She tried to push herself away unsuccessfully, trying to run. Her legs were tangled in the bright blue blanket, she kicked furiously at them, as if in a life or death struggle._ _

__

__"Maker no!," she screamed, " Cullen, please, no, no!" She screamed. Elizabeth threw her curled fists out, trying to hit anything near her. Her red curly hair stuck to her face with sweat and body trembled as she cried. She begged for everyone under the sun, curling herself near the banister. Startled from a deep sleep, Cullen shot up from the bed, nearly tripping over the heavy boots that sat beside their bed. He was around the ornate Orlesian bed in all of but a moment and sprinted towards her, feet unsteady like a newborn fawn._ _

__"Eliza!" he yelled, heart hammering in his chest, "Andraste, what's wrong?" He watched her face twist in mortal terror, green eyes shining with tears_ _

__He placed his hands on hers, but he recoiled as the sharp sting of her nails dug into his skin. He hissed and recoiled, fingers curling around the wound. He stared helplessly as she curled into herself as if she were trying to disappear. “Elizabeth, please!” He shouted, trying to hopelessly calm her.His ears rang with her shrieks, and just as he felt like he was going to explode it all, the door crashed open._ _

__The sounds of boots thundered up the stone stairs, the sounds of Leliana's lilting voice urging them to hurry buried beneath the cacophony of sounds._ _

__He whipped his head around, his head still spinning from the sudden awakening. It was a blur, but he managed to see his own soldiers running at him. The world seemed to slow, almost as if he were experiencing the time magic Elizabeth had described at Redcliffe. The air was stale and almost sounded silent, despite the roaring of his blood in his ears. He wondered for a moment if this is what she felt like every time she entered battle, but his thought was cut short by the weight of ten grown men on top of him and he was crushed on the cold floor beneath him._ _

__

__Hours later after the Inquisitor had visited the healers, and sat with a very disgruntled Dorian who had awoken to his dear friend screaming, she returned to the room they had shared. Slowly, she ascended the stairs, the cold air of the morning filled the room, making her hairs stand on end. She idly wondered if she had left the balcony door open all night, or if after the guards had left, if Cullen had opened them. As she ascended the long flight of stairs after what felt like an eternity, she turned the corner and scanned the room. The sun shone through the doors, illuminating the chaos that remained._ _

__The table in the corner closest to her bedside had been broken, shattered into small pieces, bit of wood and ornates pieces that adorned the drawers scattered everywhere. There were bits of clothing and glass embedded into the bedding that had been left crumpled in the corner where she had been, and one of Cullen’s boots was tossed unceremoniously into the corner farthest from her desk._ _

__Finally, she settled on the hunched form of Cullen perched on her side of the bed. He was still dressed in his smalls, gently rubbing his ribs. Even though she stood at the stairs, the dark purple from his bruises were visible from here. She was struck by how they had already bloomed against his pale skin, and for a moment, guilt struck her like a charging bull._ _

__She had caused this, her stupid brain She wrung her hands nervously as she tried to imagine what they had done, if they had beat him and if he had felt betrayed by this. “Curse the fade, and curse her dreams,” she thought bitterly. As a young mage, she often wondered if her dreams could become reality, they had always started as nightmares. There were horrifying, dreams of her mother and father being killed in gruesome ways, her brother whom she loved dearly, being carried away to be tortured. The spirits that she met had told her no, but as she stared at Cullen, she wondered if spirits could be wrong._ _

__Elizabeth walked softly towards him, the padding of her feet on the stone floor echoed throughout the room and her heart raced, she almost convinced herself that Cullen could hear it. As she grew closer, he turned his entire body to face her with a grimace of pain on his face._ _

__"Cullen," she said, almost reverently, "Oh, I'm so sorry." She reached to touch his arm, longing to feel his warmth beneath her fingertips. She flinched when she seen the angry looking half moons that stood stark against his skin. She grew quiet, guilt wracking itself through her. She knew this was her fault, but she couldn’t help but try to fix this. She had always been the one to fix problems. Elizabeth gently placing herself beside him, leaving a small gap between them as the bed bowed beneath her. He smiled sadly, his eyes not meeting hers._ _

__"I was afraid" he started, voice still shaky, "I was afraid a demon had finally taken you."_ _

__Her breath caught in her chest, the weight of that crushing her. They had spoken of that possibility before, it had been a quiet, cold night where they spoke in hushed whispers. She had begged him to end her if it happened, she could not see herself being taken ahold of so entirely. She had heard stories of Anders, the Healer mage in Kirkwall, who had allowed a spirit to enter him, and when it took over, it destroyed the chantry there. She feared it, she would not allow it to consume her, but she feared it nonetheless.In the deepest recesses of her mind, Elizabeth had a tiny inkling there that it was more terrifying than Corypheus’ victory She cast her eyes down, as if she were intently studying her feet They had been injured as she fell, and were wrapped in bandages._ _

__"I'm sorry, I meant no harm in this." His fingers gently brushed his bruised skin, trailing the tips of them softly._ _

__"Will you please tell me what _this _was?"___ _

____She leaned against his shoulders, still strong and wide, but bent in on himself, he looked little more than a frightened boy. No longer her intense commander, nor her attentive lover. He sat before her a wounded man. Elizabeth gently took his hand in hers, intertwining their fingers. She thought for a moment, and brushed her thumb around his scuffed knuckles. She thought for a moment, the deafening silence was loud in her ears, like the sea. She took a deep, shaky breath in and turned her head to look at him._ _ _ _

____"I had a nightmare," she explained, almost laughing at how childish it sounded, "I awoke to what seemed like a normal morning. I curled myself around you, and laid there for a few moments until you sat up. You seemed normal until you turned around, your eyes were red."_ _ _ _

____She felt him tense beneath her hands, almost as if he knew what she meant. After saving the Templars at Therinfal, she and Cullen had spoken about it in passing. They both knew had he stayed, he could have been infected, as well. It lingered in her mind, and she knew he was afraid of the prospect._ _ _ _

____"I began screamed, begging for Leliana, Cassandra, anyone," she continued, "You lunged at me and I hit you, but you came back angrier. Your hands were like fire, and I could feel it burning beneath your skin when you wrapped your hand around my throat. I fought and kicked, until I could feel the strength leave me. You had killed me and you did it with a smile."_ _ _ _

____He stayed silent, but his eyes widened. She leaned over to press his lips against her temple. She revelled in it, almost trying to convince herself she still lived. Her eyes travelled down his arm to his torso, still battered and covered in scratches._ _ _ _

____"Surely they didn't hurt you too badly?" She asked._ _ _ _

____Cullen chuckled, a warm, deep sound that she loved, wincing at the sharp pain in his ribs. "I've been looked at, and nothing broken."_ _ _ _

____"Just a wounded ego, I'm sure," Elizabeth smiled and turned her head, catching his lips with hers. He was warm against her, yet she found comfort in this. He was alive and real, and so was she._ _ _ _


End file.
